Zanzibaris urged to embrace legal awareness
ZANZIBAR: ZANZIBAR Second Vice-President (2VP), Hemed Suleiman Abdulla, has urged citizens to remain closely engaged with the courts in order to access justice and enhance their legal awareness, saying ignorance of the law often creates unnecessary challenges and barriers.
He made the remarks during Law Week activities marked by a public walk held last Sunday, which started at PBZ Bank in Chake Chake and ended at Gombani Football Stadium on Pemba Island.
Mr Abdulla emphasised the importance of adopting Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the justice sector to improve service delivery, enhance transparency, curb corruption and ensure timely access to justice. He noted that the Zanzibar Judiciary is phasing out paper-based systems and transitioning to electronic platforms to improve efficiency and better serve the public.
The Second Vice-President also called on other legal stakeholders to align with the Judiciary’s ICT reforms in order to keep pace with rapid global technological advancements.
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In addition, he urged citizens to continue safeguarding peace and unity, stressing that it is the responsibility of every individual to ensure rights and obligations are upheld fairly for the common good of the nation.
Speaking on health, Mr Abdulla highlighted the importance of engaging in at least 30 minutes of physical exercise daily to maintain good health and prevent non-communicable diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes, which are increasing due to sedentary lifestyles.
Meanwhile, the Chief Justice of Zanzibar, Mr Khamis Ramadhan Abdalla, thanked the Second VicePresident and all participants for taking part in the walk, saying it demonstrated strong unity and cooperation between the Judiciary and the public.
Separately, Mr Balu Lada, Head of Public Relations at the High Court of Zanzibar, asked members of the public to attend education forums to learn about their rights and legal procedures.
He said Law Week activities began on February 3, 2026, with community clean-up exercises at Kivunge Hospital in North Unguja and Vitongoji Hospital in South Pemba, followed by the issuance of registration certificates to 17 advocates and 13 Vakili (legal officers).
“We also held legal awareness conferences in Unguja and Pemba, as well as outreach programmes in various villages, including Jojo in Pemba and Tumbatu, Chwaka and MweraPongwe in Unguja,” Mr Lada said.
